"When it comes to drinking, there are two Montreals." - Very different drinkers, but pretty similar drivers

MONTREAL, Sept. 10, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - When it comes to drinking alcohol, a notable gap separates francophone Montrealers, whose drinking habits and models are very close to the Quebec average, from non-francophones, who are significantly further from it. The two groups come together when the issue is impaired driving, only to separate again with regard to awareness and appreciation of Éduc'alcool.

These are the salient points of the Montreal-region results in the most extensive survey ever of Quebecers and alcohol, conducted by CROP for Éduc'alcool. The survey, which paints a detailed portrait of drinking in the province, region by region, was made public today by Éduc'alcool Director General, Hubert Sacy.

"The facts show two distinct Montreals," he said.

A positive picture

The same percentage of francophone Montrealers drink alcohol as the Quebec average (82% in both cases), while only 65% of non-francophones drink, bringing the Montreal average to 74%.

Most Montrealers drink moderately and reasonably. They drink primarily at home (78% - but that's 87% of francophones and 67% of non-francophones) or at friends' homes (76%). Two thirds of them (66%) drink in restaurants and 41% do so in bars, which is much higher than the Quebec average (27%). This puts them solidly in first place on that score.

As in the rest of Quebec (32%), wine is the preferred drink of Montrealers (30%: 39% among francophones and 20% among non-francophones). The same holds true for beer, which 35% of francophones list as their favourite, compared to only 12% of non-francophones. Overall, 40% of Montrealers drink once a week or more (Quebec = 47%), but the figure is an average of 58% for francophones and 21% for non-francophones.

On average, Montreal drinkers drink less than the Quebec average (3.1 drinks a week vs. 3.3), but non-francophones, who have 2.1 drinks a week, bring down the average: francophones have 3.8 drinks. And while drinking frequency in Montreal is the same as the Quebec average (1.5 days a week), francophones (1.9 days) drink twice as often as non-francophones (1 day).

However, whereas francophones are slightly ahead of non-francophones (77% vs. 68%) when it comes to exceeding low-risk drinking, the difference between the two is erased when it comes to excessive drinking: both are around the Quebec average (43% vs. 42%).

Finally, 4% of Montrealers noted that their drinking had affected their health, which is right on the Quebec average, while 3% said it had affected their relationships with friends (Quebec = 2%).

No differences for impaired driving

There are fewer drivers in Montreal (71%) than in Quebec as a whole (84%): 79% of francophones and 63% of non- francophones drive.

Montrealers are below the average (46% vs. 50%) when it comes to the percentage of people who say they stay within the legal limits when driving, but Montreal drivers are less responsible than the Quebec average: 8% of them admit having drunk more than the legal limit, while the Quebec average is 6%.

This is no doubt due to the fact that they saw fewer roadblocks than the average (29% vs. 33%), even though, paradoxically, 80% of francophones said they had not seen a police roadblock for a year, compared to 55% of non-francophones. What's more, only 14% of francophones and 37% of non-francophones said they had been through a police roadblock. Not surprisingly, the difference remains when both groups are asked if they think it likely that they will be stopped if they drive while impaired (F= 41%, NF = 60%).

Éduc'alcool: known and recognized

A full 96% of francophone Montrealers know the Éduc'alcool slogan, "La modération a bien meilleur goût/Moderation is always in good taste" (Quebec average = 92%), while only 72% of non-francophones know it, although the figure is still very respectable. Moreover, to the delight of Éduc'alcool, 92% of francophone Montrealers and 83% of non-francophones think the organization is credible.